Yesterday, KJR's Dave "Softy" Mahler had a pair of Sonics legends on his radio show and they each had interesting comments about the future of the NBA in Seattle.
In hour one, Softy spoke to Spencer Haywood about his upcoming documentary "Full Court." Spencer had some interesting comments that came from a place not of speculation, but straight from the mouth of the NBA Commissioner. According to Spencer, Adam Silver told him...
"Will you help the people in Seattle understand that we want to make amends? We want a team back in Seattle immediately."
When Softy asked him how that comment came about, Spencer told him...
"I’m on the board of directors with the retired players, we have joint meetings with the collective bargaining. Here we are, we need to do something with this stadium. We need to let it go so that we can have our team."
Softy seemed a bit taken aback by this strong message from the league, but Spencer doubled down.
"[Adam Silver] wants a team back in Seattle desperately. They want to do right by Seattle, what has happened. They want to make it right."
Of course, doing so has been made immeasurably harder by the recent vote by the Seattle City Council to deny a street vacation of Occidental Avenue where an arena could be built. What did Spencer have to say about that?
"The people on city council and all the people who want to build different stadiums and arenas, they need to look at their history. Look at our history of Seattle, look what we gave the world of basketball, and let’s make a collective effort to get this team here now. Let everybody have their peace, let the NBA have a good feeling about when we put the team back in Seattle."
You can hear Spencer's entire interview below. The Sonics/arena conversation starts around the 38 minute mark.
In the third hour, Softy brought on former Sonic and new Indiana Pacers head coach Nate McMillan. Mac 10 told the fans to keep the faith because the NBA is noticing.
"I would say to all the fans continue to do what you’re doing, the NBA, they recognize that. They recognize that it is a great city and I think the next team that comes available will end up in Seattle."
"That city deserves it. It’s a great sports town."
He also re-iterated Spencer's comments, although seemingly with less inside sources but more confidence.
"I think the next team that comes available, they will look to put a team in Seattle."
"As the fan base continues to support bringing a team back, I know Gary is out there fighting to try and get a team back in the community, in that city, I think we need to continue to do that and I think things will work out for us."
Nate's comments on the issue start at the 13 minute mark.
Both of these men had their numbers retired by the Sonics and they, like us all, would surely like to see those banners hanging in Seattle once again.
Comments
Good news in a very tough month of May for Sonics fans.
I sure hope they weren’t just trying to make us fans feel better. Why would Silver tell Haywood to "tell the people of Seattle we want to make amends & want a team back immediately" ? Why not tell Mayor Murray and our SCC members this ?
Color me confused. Sorry – - it just doesn’t make sense.
By kinsesu on 05.24.16 9:44pm
Imo
It’s pretty damn obvious the league wants to be here. The problem is when things are "on the record" at conferences be it press or a meeting with officials the league can’t just say openly "we are holding a spot for you". I think things are inferred and suggested. I’m pretty sure what silver has said to haywood has been communicated to our elected officials. The difference is our elected officials are dumb enough and arrogant enough to still "stand their ground" to the big bad nba and say "well if you want to be here so bad you need to pay for it all, everything around it, on our terms and where we say to build it". Our city council embodies the "I want it my way now and I want a trophy for not even playing" society we are currently living in….
By hughc5 on 05.25.16 7:56am
If "the league wanted to be here," it would have been nice for them to tell us
instead of giving us a steady regime of cold water and "maybe…someday" promises until the Arena was dead and buried. NOW they tell us they want in? That coming any day before May 2nd would probably have swung one vote in our direction. Now, with the no-alition locked in on the principle of "standing firm against misogyny," it’s hard not to see us back at the drawing board.
By SoDoLive2016 on 05.31.16 4:39pm
Word
By Mark.S40 on 05.24.16 9:53pm
Double Word
By MartinHughes on 05.24.16 10:35pm
Wrong unis but point made
By Matt Tucker on 05.24.16 10:38pm
Yeah, sadly we've hit the point where our young, homegrown bball studs are so young
They probably don’t even have much memory of anything but the more moribund, latter-day lameduck Sonics teams…frankly it makes me proud that they even care, still have that Sonics pride in spite of being little guys themselves when GP was in his prime.
By smb282 on 05.25.16 12:08am
I think
The idea was to mimic the Payton-Kemp finals team, this the wine and pine is appropriate.
By Barely Able on 05.25.16 9:13am
Hopefully softy
Brings this new info up to Sally at their breakfast tomorrow. Maybe then she will reveal her key arena plans.
By Barely Able on 05.24.16 10:07pm
2037 or Bust, Baby
They have a plan!
By MartinHughes on 05.24.16 10:30pm
Is that still on?
I thought she was not talking since the Ron & Don’t debacle.
By Mark.S40 on 05.24.16 10:42pm
Yes
Per softy tweet
Just wrapped up an hour long meeting with Sally Bagshaw. I’ll share some details on the show today
By Barely Able on 05.25.16 9:13am
Sorry this is a little late. Sounds more like " we love you Seattle please still love the NBA"
By Trolltossin on 05.24.16 10:54pm
Yeah - - - 2 + 2 is not equaling 4.
Lucy – - – u got some ’splaining to do !! Timing of these comments/revelations are suspect as well.
Geez – I hate being so cynical & paranoid. This saga will do that to even the most normal happy sane person.
By kinsesu on 05.24.16 11:07pm
Totally understandable
I’m still gonna cling to my little chunk of floating styrofoam hope, though, if for no other reason than to at least keep a turtle from choking on it. I can always let go, succumb to the seemingly inevitable doom and just drown later, but I can’t un-drown. This would be a lot easier if evildoers hadn’t thrown us off the cruise ship to begin with, but I guess that’s why you don’t make yourself expendable and then sit on the ship’s railing, shit-drunk.
By smb282 on 05.25.16 12:13am
Your comment made me think of this:
I just watched this movie (The Life of Pi) on the airplane on my way back to Seattle. Seemed appropriate with your analogy.
By MilesDeCaro on 05.25.16 12:42pm
I think
And this is not based on any inside info, that Silver heard the "well we don’t even have a team" arguments from the council and is saying "but we want to give you one!"
I think the timing is based on circumstance.
By Taylor Made on 05.25.16 8:26am
If that's true . . .
Then Silver totally f-ed up his presser a few weeks back when chatting with our own own Geoff Baker. Silver could have EASILY spoken to the positives of having a shovel-ready arena while tempering any expansion talk.
Thanks, Adam. Maybe you should have a had a few more training days under Stern.
By BellevueCoug on 05.25.16 8:44am
Fewer training days
would have been beneficial IMO.
But I agree, he missed an opportunity, as did the celebs who spoke out after the vote.
By cortone on 05.25.16 8:51am
If even remotely
True the city council should be scrambling as we speak to tweak things to get Sodo passed. This would be above and beyond anything any league has ever done or said in terms of a city looking to acquire a team. You literally couldn’t ask for more without legally opening yourself up to litigation in some way by cities who already have arenas who feel they are "ready" but are being passed over. This is a hell of an olive branch by the league
By hughc5 on 05.25.16 9:03am
I believe the no voters, or a few of them, are arrogant enough
to wait for Hansen to come to them with terms that are acceptable to them, i.e., 100% private plus funding for all transportation improvements in SODO, demands along the line of what Hughc5 inferred earlier in the comments. They will scramble for nobody, except maybe those IT magnates.
By NWEastcoaster on 05.25.16 4:11pm
Everyone who could have been
Influencial and made a difference sat back and and just expected this to pass on its merits, which it should have but, as we know, didn’t. I appreciate all of their words and the "Keep your heads up!" Sentiment, but they are a month and a half late! If they would have said this in April that vote would have gone much different.
By itsanospreybich on 05.25.16 4:36pm
Like I said above
I believe it to be a response. Like some have said, it seemed pretty common knowledge that the NBA wants to be here except, apparently, to five council members. They don’t trust the NBA the same way the NBA doesn’t trust them. The council members keep calling it a chicken and egg scenario but the NBA is doing everything except saying publicly "NO, IDIOT, YOU NEED THE CHICKEN FIRST!"
…or the egg…
Whichever one is the arena.
By Taylor Made on 05.26.16 9:13am
And then the council says "No, you need the egg first!"
that’s what makes it a chicken or egg scenario…
I’m not any happier with the way the council’s approach than anyone else but in the end they aren’t wrong on this point, either of them could go first if they wanted to and I’m not sure why we all just accept the fact that the league is in the right.
By wetzelcoal on 05.26.16 9:25am
Right
but the council doesn’t get to decide. The NBA can say "okay, whatever, byeeeeee."
What makes it extra ridiculous is that we’re talking about a conditional vacation for conditional construction. The arena wouldn’t get built without a team regardless.
By Taylor Made on 05.26.16 9:38am